We received the following essay submission from a local author, reflecting on how the coup has impacted the life of monastics throughout the country, and particularly in the remote Sagaing Hills. He has asked his name to be removed for safety considerations.

Dear Dhamma Brothers and Sisters,

I send you all Metta (loving kindness) for your good health, happiness, mindfulness and insights.

My family and I evacuated our recent temporary home, where we were previously living since 2022, as it is likely to see the war there. This is after we lost our family home due to its proximity to the conflict, as the soldiers claimed it as an operating base for their assaults. Anyway, we have relocated to another place and are staying at a remote monastery in the Sagaing Hills now. I'm writing to you now in order to share my merits and delights with you. A few days ago, I was reading a part of the journal written by the late most reverend Arhat Maha Bodhi Myaing Sayadaw Gyi about his stay in Sagaing for two Vassas (Rains Retreat periods). In his writing, he slightly wrote about his experience of going alms-round in the nearby villages at the bottom of the Sagaing Hills. In order to just fill only half of his alms bowl, he had to visit up to 20 households, so difficult was it to get support in that remote place! I was reflecting on this and I found that sadly, it's true for monks in the Sagaing Hills today as well.

Yesterday, I visited some pagodas at the top of the Hills, where I met a monk who is residing at a forest monastery, intent on a secluded practice. I had a conversation with him and asked him where he usually goes for his alms-food. (I asked him if he goes down the hill to the village called Wa-chat, a transliteral name for Wut-chat meaning 'cooked for alms-meal'.) He answered that he doesn't go there—nor does he go anywhere else for the alms-food— because these days, rice prices are quite expensive, and he feels compassionate for the local sponsors, who now have so little. I also met an attendant who comes on some occasions to help the monk do such things as to wash his robe, sweep around the monastery, and cook rice for him. Here is what is interesting: the raw rice he receives is from an alms-charity, such as the Malun Alms-rice Charity, that donates rice for the monks and nuns in the Sagaing Hills annually. I was so inspired with Saddha [faith] by his great compassion that he doesn't go alms-round to collect food from the poor villagers at the top of the hill. It's true! This is not only happening to this forestry-secluded monk but also to several other monks.

Nowadays, the monks and novices are truly struggling to get proper daily nutrition. My 61-year old uncle, who is a monk, also emphasized the current hardship that monastics have been facing since the coup. When I was living outside of Mandalay, my family and I used to cook curries and prepare alms-rice to offer 50 monks and novices from a nearby Pariyatti monastery, and for 20 other novices from another Pariyatti monastery. We did this every Monday, when they came for their alms-round in the mornings, performing this as our Nicca-Vaddha Kusala Dana (it means committing to regular alms offerings). But then, after the hardships of having to relocate to the Sagaing Hills, and then getting sick and having to adapt with the hotter weather again, we could not offer alms-meal like that. But this morning, we resumed our Nicca-Vaddha merit of offering some curries (such as chicken, pork, fish, etc. alternately) and alms-rice tp about 35 monks and novices from nearby monasteries. I was really happy to see young novices who heard that we were offering pork curry, and how quickly came to us, so as to make sure they did not miss out on their share of the curry. We saw only a few small cups full of vegetables (only 2-3 types of vegetables) in their alms-bowl by that point. We also couldn’t help but observe the honest smiles of the young novices, and so happiness came to us, too.

Anyway, I understand today's economic crisis in our country: it's not affordable to regularly cook and offer alms-rice or some special curries such as meat or fish. Even for us, we have made a resolution to cook and offer some good curries once a week (every Monday) without absence, even though it costs up to 50,000 kyats to serve a good curry to around 50 monastics at one time. Well, in any case, we are pleased to offer this every Monday, and happy that we could resume our regular merits today, especially after our recovery from being sick, not to mention those difficult emotions we’ve had to face, such as depression, etc.

Anyway, I would like to kindly share my merits and my happiness with you all as a Kalyana-mitta (Dhamma friend). We will continue our support for the Enlightened One's Sasana continuously as much as we can! We believe that our support such as alms-round offerings contributes not only to the physical support of the

monks and novices, but also encourages their motivation to stay in robes and embrace the monastic life. This way, they can happily continue to study the Buddha's teachings. I usually say to the young novices after I offer alms-rice and curries in their alms-bowl, "May you study the Buddha's teachings well," or "May you perform your monastic duties.” Most of them smiled but I'm not sure if they all understand as they’re still young! However, they made wishes for us to attain Nibbana.

Anyway, for those meditators, I encourage you to support the Buddha's Sasana as much as you can, and if possible, you are advised that it's truly delightful to offer alms-round food, as a regular merit, to the monastics in your country as well! We have a saying, "One tablespoon of Panda-pata (alms-round food/rice) is the noblest in all kinds of alms-food offering. Meanwhile, Kathina robe is the greatest in all kinds of robe donations. As well, Dhamma Dana is the greatest of all types of donations.” In conclusion, I share my merits and delights with you all: may you all be as happy as the happy novices and us, may you all make efforts to serve the Buddha's Sasana, may you all put mindful efforts for ever to attain the insights.”

Curry and Compassion: A Tale from the Sagaing Hills